I miss the prompts
the prompts inspired
gave us ideas
got us all fired up
to write,
to challenge ourselves
to shake dust off the pages
sitting on our minds' shelves

to dig in the word pile
stashed in our brains
looking for those just right
looking for those to explain

why we love poetry
why we all write

looking
for new ways to express
how a bird looks in flight

how the moon and the stars
make us feel

how love has betrayed us
or
how it has found us,
making us reel...
                    and real!

I know we don't need them
but each, was a fun surprise
like a gift to be opened
and then tried on for size

where do I start?
do I write from my head
or do I write from the heart

these are questions we often ponder
do I use a particular form?
short or long, and do I rhyme?

but being given a topic  
we didn't have to wonder
what to write about this time